Shake, rattle, then roll; The Grapple Gourmet’s guide to the best BJJ supplements.

If you drink what you should eat, then know what you drink. You often hear the protein shakers start going all at once the second class is over with. Is that the only time of the day to be using your shaker filled with mystery powders ranging from chocolate mint flavors to poison “bubblegum?” No. There is a vast world of supplements out on the market and that is because as we progress in science and technology, we create, and develop a finer tuned catalog of supplements for each purpose. Rather than just having “Protein Powder” we have blends, whey, casein, super pump up uber bulk hope cans with your bare hands powders. What I am saying is there are a million and one different products out there and without knowing which ones truly benefit our training, you are a sailor lost at sea. Well it is time to fire up the lighthouse and show you to the coast of the best supplements to take for BJJ, its pretty important, that’s for shore (see what I did there?) It is not all about getting pumped up anymore, but improving our performance, recovery and overall healthy.

Supplement
noun
1.Something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

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Clik here to view.Knowing the difference between each supplement is crucial. Treating them all the same is like saying a knee bar, keylock and guillotine are all the same thing only because they are submissions. Are all of these powders “supplements?” They sure are, but are they all the same thing and yield the same results? Hell no. If they were then I pray for the day you pick up Cod Liver Oil and treat it as you would protein powder. You wont be in for a good time and you wont be repairing your big strong muscles. Supplements are exactly as the word implies, supplemental. You should not be living off supplements but you should work them into your diet to fill in those gaps or lapses in nutrition that you do not get. If knowledge is power, then this article is your brains protein powder.

Whey Protein

Get outta my whey, or else I’ll crush your scrawny little arms! (Obviously in Arnold voice)Image may be NSFW.
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Why should you be taking protein supplements? Well because protein shakes aren’t only for stacking on slabs of corded muscles. They are excellent time saving meal replacements, catabolism eliminator and all round fantastic invention. Imagine if you miss a full lunch and all you have in your bag is a banana. Sure that will help give you a slight energy boost but it as a whole, is not enough. You cannot bring a plastic knife to do a steak knife’s job.  Focus on not skimping here, the money you put into good high quality protein will be paid back in full with results. The last thing you want is to be swallowing down a shake that tastes like ground up classroom chalk just to have an upset stomach for the rest of the day because you wanted to save a few bucks. Splurge here.

Types to take: 100% Whey or blended Casein/Whey of high quality.

Which to take: Q5 Pure New Zealand Whey for recovery, blend for meal replacement.

When to take it: Whey pre/post-training, blended at any major meal time.

Where to get it: Q5 Sports Nutrition and use GOURMET10 for 10%OFFImage may be NSFW.
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BCAA

Why do I need to eat 4 letters?Image may be NSFW.
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I read BCAA as BeCauseAAAaaaah, for that’s how you feel after you take them. BCAA which stands for Branched-chain Amino Acids, are one of, if not the most important supplement we can take as Jiu Jitsu Practitioners. We train all day, we do strength and conditioning and most of us try a diet or a weight cut at some point. All of these things will shred us down and lean our bodies out. But what we do not want to do and need to prevent is muscle loss due to catabolic state. This is when our body instead turns to breaking down our muscles for nutrients rather than what we have stored. BCAAs are proven to prevent that. We gain/lose muscle in a simple fashion. This is a good formula from BodyBuilding.com “Muscle mass = rate of protein synthesis – rate of protein breakdown.” What BCAAs do is they increase our body’s protein synthesis, increases and promotes the cellular transport that carries out protein synthesis AND increases the cell’s capacity to synthesis protein. They also reduce the breakdown of protein. So what I am getting at is they are fucking awesome. They increase the way our body processes protein, lets us process more all the while maintaining the breakdown of protein so we get the most out of it. Talk about what you should really be taking after class.

Types to take: Leucine, isoleucine and valine. All three make up BCAA. Some have added glutamine.

Which to take: Modern BCAA

When to take it: Pre & Post Training/S&C

Where to get it: Any major supplement retailer such as Vitamin Shoppe

Creatine

Its not just for body builders anymore. Im talking to the vegetarians out there!Image may be NSFW.
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Creatine is one of those supplements that has gotten mixed responses over the years. But in reality, it is great. Creatine has been shown to increase productivity on and off the mats, helps build muscle by aiding in recovery and strengthening skeletal muscle and gives an energy boost to help our muscles fire off more rapidly when we need them. Sometimes in those hard training sessions or in the finals of Worlds that slight boost that gains you a second of advantage could be the turning point. Creatine is an amino acid that in effect helps buffer the build up of lactic acid. Lactic acid build up is what we know as muscle fatigue, cramping or “burning out.” The trick with creatine is that if you have not taken it you will need to “load” you system for 5 days to build up a surplus in your system. Usually recommended at 20g per day for 5 – 7 days then switching over to a maintenance amount of 5 grams a day post loading phase. The 20 grams within the load should be taken in 5 gram portions throughout the day. The best part about creatine is it is practically flavorless and easily added into your post workout shakes without any notice.

Types to take: Monohydrate powder or capsules, or Pre-load Complex

Which to take: 100% Pure Creatine Monohydrate

When to take it: Post training

Where to get it: Any major supplement retailer such as Vitamin Shoppe

Fish Oil

How does one oil a fish? Is it like ringing out a wet rag?Image may be NSFW.
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Do you produce Omega-3 fatty acids naturally? If so you are a super human. None of us are able to do so but it sure would be amazing. Because Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils help build muscle, increase metabolism, reduce inflammation, increase organ function and promotes weight lose. All of which in a health manner, meaning if you want to lean down and maintain muscle mass, you should add in fish oil. If you want to live longer and have a functioning body, you should take fish oil. If you are a polar bear that loves salmon, you should take fish oil, because even if you are eating lbs of salmon, you can never really get enough.

Types to take:

Which to take: Q5 Krill Oil

When to take it: Whenever you can!

Where to get it: Q5 Sport Nutrition or generic from major retailers

Fruit and Vegetable Powders

Because, hey, sometimes you just don’t have time.Image may be NSFW.
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Sometimes we don’t always eat our vegetables. I am just as guilty as you are. But one day isn’t the end of the world, but a day here and a day there adds up. You are weakening your body’s self defense. Green foods, berries, citrus all of which produce key vitamins, minerals and powerful nutrients you need to not only survive, but thrive. To be the top dog and have your body functioning at it’s fullest you much give it the fuel to do so. Luckily a few companies have come up with multivitamins and greens supplements but no one offers as good or vast of a selection as Q5. Their rainbow stack hits four different food groups that you commonly miss out in your daily diet. These powders are quick, easy and down right delicious. Even the green. I understand of you say you do not have time to boil water and cook asparagus before rushing out to work, but you have no excuse to now grab a scoop of all four of the rainbow stack in you shaker and hitting the road, loaded up to stay alpha. I personally do not go a day without using one if not all four of them. Do yourself a favor and improve you defenses.

Types to take: Primarily Greens, but if you are lacking in other areas of the diet, go for a wider variety of supplements.

Which to take: Q5 Rainbow stack or Greens+

When to take it: Major meal times

Where to get it: Q5 Sports Nutrition and use GOURMET10 for 10%OFF

Conclusion

Supplements are exactly what the word means. Nothing is a match for eating a well rounded diet and getting the proper nutrients from whole foods. But we all know that everyday cannot be perfect. Also there are some supplements that our bodies do not naturally produce in the quantities in which we can perform at our peak with such as creatine. There is no harm in adding a shake and some fish oil into your diet, there is only gain. With this article you have the knowledge to feel comfortable when selecting which to buy, and hell, you even get 10% OFF (use GOURMET10 at checkout) your order if you pick Q5! If you do not see the benefits of this, take some creatine and get your brain working properly and then you will see. You take your training seriously. Take your diet seriously. They go hand in hand. Your training without proper nutrition is like a gi without a belt to hold it all together. Remember to eat well, train hard. Oss.

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